Veterinary enterprises and organizations play a large role in ensuring the well-being of pets by combining medical expertise, care, and effective management. Effective leadership in this sector directly impacts the quality of pet care and fosters the professional development of staff. Additionally, industry leaders create an environment that encourages innovation and keeps pace with the latest advancements in veterinary medicine.

Various veterinary businesses and organizations recently announced new promotions and appointments. The following individuals are among those making career advancements:

John Tegzes, MA, VMD, Dipl ABVT, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University Health Sciences

John Tegzes, MA, VMD, Dipl ABVT. (Photo courtesy of Western University of Health Sciences)

Stepping into the role of dean of Western University Health Science’s (WesternU) College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), in Pomona, California, is John Tegzes. He has more than 30 years of experience in clinical practice, academia, research, and leadership roles. Tegzes taught at the university since 2003 and also taught toxicology at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and the College of Pharmacy. He has also held positions as the director of WesternU's Interprofessional Practice & Education (IPE) program. As a frequent researcher and author, his research focuses on interprofessional education, toxicology, and animal health.

"I am deeply honored to lead [CVM] at a time when the veterinary profession, and how we educate future veterinarians, is expanding and evolving. I truly believe that it has never been a better time to become a veterinarian, and I am completely devoted to supporting our current and future students in their professional journeys and supporting and nurturing our faculty and staff," said Tegzes in a news release.

 "I genuinely believe that our future, as a college and as a profession, will be forged through a collaborative spirit as we approach the challenges ahead. I hope to bring together diversity of thought and perspectives as we navigate our pathways."

As a major advocate of IPE, Tegzes has held leadership positions in the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), and the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative to promote IPE. Currently, Tegzes is a fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a member of the ASPIRE executive board for the Association of Medical Educators of Europe (AMEE). He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology and is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in California.

Brady Beale, VMD, DACVO, and Barbara Dallap Schaer, VMD, DACVS, DACVECC

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) School of Veterinary Medicine has welcomed 2 new associate deans at UPenn. Brady Beale will be the new associate dean of Clinical Enterprise. Additionally, Barbara Dallap Schaer is stepping into the associate dean role for Clinical Education and Operations for its New Bolton Center .

Beale is an associate professor of ophthalmology and the director and chief medical officer of Ryan Hospital. As the new associate dean, Beale will manage and oversee the operations of Ryan Hospital, including the development and execution of strategic plans. Her responsibilities will also include ensuring patient-centric care that upholds high clinical training standards for students, interns, residents, and fellows, as well as fostering an environment that supports clinical research and trials.

Schaer is a professor of surgery and emergency, as well as critical care medicine. She is also the hospital director for New Bolton Center. In her new role, Schaer will guide the strategic planning for the large animal hospital, emphasize competency-based veterinary education, and enhance the educational experiences of clinical rotations at New Bolton Center, according to UPenn.

Emmanuelle Soubeyran, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health

Emmanuelle Soubeyran director general of the World Organisation for Animal Health. (Photo courtesy of the World Organisation for Animal Health)

Soubeyran was appointed director general of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) by the World Assembly, which consists of national delegates from all WOAH member countries. Soubeyran began her 5-year term on August 1, 2024. She is the 8th Director General of WOAH. Soubeyran has experience in veterinary medicine and specializations in veterinary public health and epidemiology. Her background offers a wealth of experience in tackling animal health issues on national and international scales, according to WOAH.

Soubeyran has played a pivotal role in managing major health crises such as avian influenza and bluetongue disease. She also led the creation of emergency response strategies and preventative measures for influenza, African swine fever, and other zoonotic diseases. Soubeyran is also a dedicated proponent of one health initiatives, focusing on antimicrobial resistance and zoonoses.

During Soubeyran’s 5-year tenure, she will concentrate on enhancing WOAH’s visibility, animal health and welfare issues, and veterinary services actions. She will also make strides towards strengthening veterinary services, as only 7% of WOAH members have optimal veterinary capacities as of 2024. Given the rapid state of the world’s evolution and modernization, Soubeyran will also be focusing on modernizing the organization by enhancing diversity, advancing digitalization, and implementing data-driven strategies by utilizing big data and emerging technologies to improve disease surveillance and response.

Brian Dooher, MRCVS, MVB, chief veterinary officer for Northern Ireland

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) announced Brian Dooher’s appointment as Northern Ireland’s new chief veterinary officer. In his role, he will offer evidence-based professional advice to DAERA, executive ministers, and other government entities, as well as external organizations. Dooher will also lead the Veterinary Service and Animal Health Group team of more than 650 staff that fulfill field, operational, policy, and administrative duties.

“I am honored to have been selected for this role and it will be my privilege to lead my veterinary colleagues to support our farming and food industry,” said Dooher, in a news release.

 “I will work constructively and collaboratively with DAERA staff and stakeholders, delivery partners and colleagues in other administrations, in Ireland and in the [European Union] on areas of common interest and to meet the future challenges across animal health and welfare and public health,” he continued.

Dooher earned his degree in veterinary medicine from University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. He joined DAERA in 2005 after spending 7 years in private practice. Since 2018, he has served as DAERA’s deputy chief veterinary officer.

WesternU selects Dr. John Tegzes as College of Veterinary Medicine Dean. News release. Western University of Health Sciences. August 1, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/westernu-selects-dr-john-tegzes-as-college-of-veterinary-medicine-dean-302212720.html

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine announces two new associate dean appointments. News release. University of Pennsylvania. August 7, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://www.vet.upenn.edu/about/news-room/news-stories/news-story-detail/the-university-of-pennsylvania-school-of-veterinary-medicine-announces-two-new-associate-dean-appointments

Director general. World Organisation for Animal Health. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://www.woah.org/en/who-we-are/structure/director-general/

Appointment for chief veterinary officer (CVO) for Northern Ireland. News release. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. March 7, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/appointment-chief-veterinary-officer-cvo-northern-ireland

Articles

Check out the latest news in the veterinary industry with these 5 recent position promotions

Paws and profits: Recent veterinary promotions

Avian influenza A (H5N1) has the capacity to spread rapidly among bird populations, posing significant threats to global poultry industries. Yet, this highly infectious disease is not constrained to birds, as H5N1 cases have been on the rise in cattle. Cases of the disease infecting humans and mammals, including aquatic mammals have also been recorded, raising concerns about zoonotic transmission and pandemic risks.

Stay up to date on recent news about avian flu with the following 3 articles:

New study finds cows can transmit avian flu to other mammals

: Researchers found evidence that highly pathogenic avian influenza can be transmitted from cows to other mammals, including cats and raccoons. The study raised concerns over the possibility of mutations in the virus that could lead to efficient avian flu transmission in humans.

Researchers document Florida dolphin with avian influenza

: Another study documented a separate case of avian flu in a bottlenose dolphin in Florida. The virus was found in the dolphin’s brain and lungs.

USDA takes additional measures to contain the spread of avian influenza A

: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was providing an extra $824 million in emergency funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation to curb the spread of H5N1. The department also launched the H5N1 Dairy Herd Status Pilot program to give dairy producers additional ways to monitor the health of their herds.

Read about how the highly pathogenic avian influenza was transmitted to cows, cats, raccoons, and dolphins, plus what steps are being taken to contain the spread

3 must-reads on avian flu

Staff retention is key to the success and sustainability of veterinary practices. It directly influences team morale and workplace culture, the quality and continuity of patient care, client satisfaction, and more. Indeed, engaged and loyal team members could be considered a practice’s greatest assets.

It makes sense for practice leaders to incentivize valued team members to stay. After all, a team member’s departure carries a cost in the form of lost revenue and time spent finding and training a replacement.

These incentives can take many forms. Nonfinancial offerings—like support, recognition, psychological safety, and empowerment— can foster job satisfaction and a sense of being valued, encouraging team members to stay.

 But compensation also plays a critical role and, for many team members, matters a lot.

Figure 1. Average Anticipated Income of New Graduates Entering Full-Time Work

So, how is the profession doing regarding pay? Recent American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) surveys offer mixed news. Data from the 2024 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession

 suggest that the current job market is rewarding to new graduates in compensation, but those rewards have not translated to longer-term employees.

Anticipated incomes for new veterinary school graduates (

) have been rising steadily for the past several years after declining slightly on the heels of the Great Recession of 2008.

 The rise is seen even after adjusting for inflation (real income in 2022 dollars), meaning potential gains in new graduates’ standard of living and the ability to pay off educational debt.

On the other hand, we cannot say the same for veterinarians across the board. Although nominal incomes for the average veterinarian have recently made good gains, inflation adjusted incomes have been stagnant since at least 1999 (

 This means that, overall, the purchasing power of veterinarians has essentially remained unchanged for more than 2 decades.

. Average Professional Income of Veterinarians

If you think your team members are unaware of or unfazed by the situation, think again. Compensation can be the elephant in the room, and perceptions of insufficiency or unfairness in pay can erode relationships among staff, damage morale, and encourage longer-term team members to seek work elsewhere to capitalize on what new veterinarians are experiencing.

Finding the sweet spot between what you can offer regarding wages and other means to help team members thrive inside and outside the workplace is important. A good first step would be to give your team’s compensation a checkup as follows:

Consider the last time each team member received a raise and the amount of that raise. From 2021 to 2023, the average annual inflation rate in the US ranged from 7% to 4.1%.

 Has your team’s pay kept up with inflation?

Benchmark compensation for your team members. Historical summary data, such as in the State of the Profession Report

 or on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website,

 show what has been rather than what is or should be, but still can be a valuable source of information. It also can be helpful to assess the competitiveness of your compensation packages against those offered by employers looking to attract new team members. Explore job postings on the AVMA’s 

Factor in the cost of living in your area. The costs of housing, transportation, groceries, and other necessities impact purchasing power. Use the AVMA’s new 

  to discover how your location compares with others.

Review the various roles on your team and the responsibilities, qualifications, and experience required for each. Use this information to help you develop wage ranges for the different roles.

Think about what other financial benefits or perks you might offer, such as paid licenses, continuing education expenses, health or liability insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. See the State of the Profession Report for a snapshot of common benefits.

Consider retention bonuses for longtime staff to demonstrate your appreciation of them.

The financial investment you make in your team can pay dividends now and into the future. When team members feel valued and fairly compensated, it can promote a supportive and collaborative environment. That can benefit individual and team morale, patient care, client relations, and the profession.

You likely will need to find ways to increase revenue or reduce expenses to cover the costs of any changes you decide to make, but losing team members could cost you more. A few strategies to free up funds include expanding services or retail sales, optimizing the use of physical space, and streamlining operations to boost productivity.

Neill CL, Hansen CR, Salois M. The economic cost of burnout in veterinary medicine. Front Vet Sci. 2022;9:814104. doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.814104

Brakke Consulting and Merck Animal Health. Creating a positive, more energized veterinary team. Merck Animal Health. 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024. https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/offload-downloads/2023-vet-team-wellbeing-presentation

Lederhouse C. Study: fair pay, appreciation for work top factors in employee retention. American Veterinary Medical Association. Updated May 2, 2024.Accessed June 12, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/study-fair-pay-appreciation-work-top-factors-employee-retention

AVMA Veterinary Economics Division staff. How to attract and keep staff in a job seeker’s market.dvm360. 2023;54(7):68. 

McKay CH, Vaisman JM. Psychological safety, purpose, path, and partnership reduce associate veterinarian desire to leave current employment. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023;261(10):1518-1524.doi:10.2460/javma.23.03.0158

Doherty C, McKay C, Ouedraogo FB. 2024 AVMA Report on the Economic State of the Veterinary Profession. 2024. Accessed June 12, 2024.https://ebusiness.avma.org/ProductCatalog/product.aspx?ID=2157

US Inflation Calculator. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates

Occupation employment and wage statistics. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.bls.gov/oes/

Nolen RS. Increasing efficiency, salaries can help practices retain employees. American Veterinary Medical Association. November 8, 2023. Accessed May 3, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/increasing-efficiency-salaries-can-help-practices-retain-employees

New data reveal income trends for recent veterinary school graduates and veterinarians

Incentivizing retention

The Internal Parasite Control Guidelines by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) have been revised. The revised guidelines aim to reduce the risk of parasitic diseases in horses and extend the effectiveness of existing medications by slowing the development of anthelmintic resistance.

“The true goal of parasite control in horses is to keep animals healthy and reduce the risk of clinical illness. The goal is NOT to eradicate all parasites from a particular individual. Not only is eradication impossible, the inevitable result of pursuing this goal is accelerated development of parasite drug resistance,” wrote the AAEP in its 34-page guidelines.

The document was last updated in 2019, and now includes information on recent advancements in knowledge of heightened anthelmintic resistance and the improvement of parasite control management practices. The guidelines also clarify common misconceptions and provide tailored parasite control recommendations for senior horses aged more than 15 years old, mature horses between 5 and 15 years old, and young horses under 5 years old.

Divided into 10 sections, the guidelines also provide information on

Various common parasites and parasitic diseases in equines

Parasite diagnostics and their performance

Anthelmintic treatment evaluation, including how to interpret a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT)

Recommendations for parasite control programs

According to the guidelines, 6 changes worth making are checking anthelmintic efficacy routinely by fecal egg count reduction testing, not deworming with fixed intervals year-round, abandoning rotational deworming, reducing anthelmintic treatment frequency, and tailoring strongyle parasite control to the active transmission season. The AAEP also emphasizes not using fecal egg counts to diagnose clinical disease.

“Take-home” messages outlined in the guidelines include

Perform FECRTs annually to ensure that you are using effective dewormers in every herd or barn.

Recognize that no anthelmintic will eliminate all parasitic stages from a horse.

Continue using fecal egg counts (FEC) once or twice a year to stratify horses into low, medium, and high shedders to reduce pasture contamination.

Deworm all horses at a baseline rate (once or twice a year) and target selected horses more often based on FEC (strongyle high shedders).

Do not use FEC to diagnose disease in horses; there is no correlation between FEC and disease-causing parasite life stages.

Discontinue deworming all horses with fixed intervals year-round (e.g., every 2 months), and stop blindly rotating anthelmintic classes.

“We have seen dramatic development in the field of equine parasite control over the past 10 years, since we first launched these guidelines, and we work hard to keep our recommendations up to date,” Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, DrVetSci, and chair of the AAEP task force said in a statement, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Alongside Nielsen, the task force included 10 AAEP members, most of whom are board-certified in veterinary internal medicine, parasitology, or microbiology. The revised guidelines were reviewed and approved by the AAEP Infectious Disease Committee and the board of directors, according to the AVMA.

AAEP updates internal parasite control guidelines. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. August 8, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://www.avma.org/news/aaep-updates-internal-parasite-control-guidelines?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=todays-headlines-news

AAEP Internal Parasite Control Guidelines. American Association of Equine Practitioners. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Internal-Parasite-Guidelines_Final1.pdf

The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ guidelines offer information on reducing the risk of parasitic diseases in horses, anthelmintic resistance, and more

Internal parasite control guidelines for horses are updated

Koalas are accident prone marsupials. Many of them are free-range, which puts them at risk of getting injured by cars, forest fires, and animal attacks.

 Past investigators have tried many different options to help them in their healing process including the use of fentanyl, meloxicam, and tramadol.

A group of investigators in Australia recently studied the use of acetaminophen oral tablets—known as paracetamol in some parts of the world—in the koala population. Although acetaminophen and codeine have been given orally to koalas for many years, analysis of the actual kinetics of acetaminophen by itself in koalas was limited.

Koalas stand at about 2 to 3 feet tall and can weight anywhere from 4 kg to 13 kg (9-29 lbs.)

 The investigators administered an oral dose of 15 mg/kg twice daily to 8 adult koalas at the Taronga Zoo in New South Wales, and then looked for any significant changes in the koala’s hematology, plasma electrolytes, and biochemical analytes. The investigators then chose a dose of 15mg/kg based on previous recommendations in a commonly used textbook in Australia.

Acetaminophen has been found to be toxic in many other animal species such as cats and dogs because their metabolisms break the drug down into toxic metabolites. However, according to the results of this recent study, koalas possess the necessary enzymes for acetaminophen to be ingested and metabolized safely.

The studied dose of 15 mg/kg given twice daily reached the therapeutic plasma concentration necessary to provide mild to moderate pain relief in humans but may not be the answer for koalas. The researchers found lower quantities of active drug in the koala’s systems because of protein binding, which means the chosen dosing range may need to be increased for koalas to feel the same benefits from the drug as humans.

Study analyzes severity of injuries found in koalas affected by Australian bushfire

Christina Nault is a 2025 PharmD candidate and veterinary pharmacy student at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Govendir M, Vogelnest L, Shapiro AJ, Marschner C, Kimble B. Pharmacokinetic profile of oral and subcutaneous administration of paracetamol in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) and prediction of its analgesic efficacy. 

. April 17, 2024. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300703

2.Nature. Koala Fact Sheet. PBS. July 1, 2020. Accessed August 9, 2024. 

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/koala-fact-sheet/#:~:text=Size%20and%20Weight%3A

What analgesics can be given to a koala? A study conducted by investigators in Australia has your answers.

Pain relief for koalas: a study on acetaminophen use

Good morning dvm360 readers and happy Friday! Did you know that for the first time, dvm360 released an exclusive episode of The Vet Blast Podcast? Our very first exclusive episode features none other than our very own chief veterinary officer Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, where he discusses how to build public influencer through social media. You can tune into the episode 

Besides this extra episode drop, here is what else happened this week on dvm360.com:

The Student American Veterinary Medical Association 

 it has updated its “Duty Hour Guidelines” in recognition of the importance of students’ wellbeing, recommended that students do not surpass 80 hours a week of duty hours.

Researchers at the University of Liège in Liège, Belgium, recently 

 a study amplifying already existing knowledge of malignant catarrhal fever that is now affecting ruminants and has become a serious threat to the commercial bison industry within the past few years.

 of The Vet Blast Podcast, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and David L. Dycus, DVM, MS, CCRP, DACVS-SA, discussed the ins and outs of canine elbow dysplasia.

 recently submitted by a dvm360 Strategic Alliance Partner, 

, discussed why veterinary professionals may be living from paycheck to paycheck, and how they can beat certain financial pitfalls.

 with dvm360, Craig Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM, gives a preview of his upcoming lecture at Fetch Kansas City where he will be discussing why phenotyping is a useful tool for canine patients with lymphoma.

Tiffany Day, a travel nurse, recalls the day her Labrador retriever mix Luna helped herself to Day’s allergy medication while she was out of the house running errands.

Want to hear and learn more from Dycus, Clifford, and Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of veterinary services at Pet Poison Helpline? Lucky for you, they will all be speaking at the end of this month at Fetch Kansas City. Registration is still open so secure your spot 